History of action cam

Pavle

Pavle

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Hi guys,

I was thinking about the first action camera ever made.

We all know that GoPro founder made first one that was marketed as an action camera we know today, but does anyone here from experienced members like @jokiin @niko @JooVuu @Pier28 and others know if there were earlier attempts to make something similar?

Its easy to buy GoPro story, but I am doing a research about a.cameras and would really like to dive deep into whole process of making, hardware, how it works and history.

Anyone has any sort of info that can help?
 
Found it, apparently Canon CI-10 was something that looks like an action camera we know today.
I am having so much fun exploring!
camera_ci10.gif

More fun facts :
-First GoPro was priced at 18$ :)
-Cannon CI-10 was invented in 1985!
 
Pavle said:
Hi guys,

I was thinking about the first action camera ever made.

We all know that GoPro founder made first one that was marketed as an action camera we know today, but does anyone here from experienced members like @jokiin @niko @JooVuu @Pier28 and others know if there were earlier attempts to make something similar?

Its easy to buy GoPro story, but I am doing a research about a.cameras and would really like to dive deep into whole process of making, hardware, how it works and history.

Anyone has any sort of info that can help?
Click to expand...

I can answer this pretty well:

Search Mehdi Bahktari - he worked at National Geographic/Discovery/Animal Planet etc. He's helped on the JooVuu X a lot and he made the first camera that under today's definition is classed as an action camera. He does not make anything commercial but he made I believe in the 70s/80s a camera (it was huge) that could be attached to a whale and got footage that way - I believe he got an emmy or something for it, or his company did. He now continues this (mainly using Ambarella A2 chips due to low power and good enough detail for tvs) making of cameras for sea life but also makes the only 'explosion' proof camera. Not that it will survive an explosion but it will not cause one at all (gives off no static or any radio interference or anything) and he also makes 'disaster' cameras.

Cheers,

Dan
 
Thanks a bunch Dan, that's interesting.
There are so many people in the same period who created something appearing to look like an action cam.
I am having so much fun researching.
88-helmet_cam.jpg
 
*I’d say this camera must be up there with some of the early action cameras :)



*just a man and a big camera strapped to the front of the racing car, for a film I think
 
@mollydog Interesting, thanks for sharing, the Go Amateur was hilarious :)
It appears people used this long before 1986 as I originally thought.
If you guys know more of have a link to share, drop it here, it will help me a lot in my research.
 
I just found out that first attempt of an action cam dates back in 1961 when skydiver Bob Sinclair captured videos of his jumps that were broadcasted on TV.
 
Is that from your page?
12208699_1683916621822954_4701473968361963618_n.jpg
 
@BMbler Correct. That is Bob Sinclair. I managed to find some more photos from his private archive, waiting for confirmation that I can use them, will add them to the article.
 
Some of the early digital action cans were the USB "flip" series. I own a knockoff polaroid one that I picked up from a clearance bin for like $11 back in 2008 or so. Tha that's what I used to record my oldest autocross videos on my YouTube page.
 
I followed the link but got an “Not found error 404”

I think your home page looks lovely, I like the cleanness of if with clear links and the general over all looks, I’m also pleased you changed the look of the bottom of it from the old one,

always room for alterations as you go along but I like the direction it heading
 
Thanks @mollydog for letting me know. I am not sure what might be the issue, but can you try again now? I republished the post now.

I have done some minor changes based on your and feedback of other guys on the forum, and I am also quite pleased how site looks now, though I always try to tweak something and improve it. :)
 
I don’t know why I didn’t mention/think this before, in my past life as a pro photographer, I had been using Hasselblad cameras (1983 to 2005)

and still remember that at the time, Hasselblad use to advertise a lot that their cameras were good enough for NASA to be taken to the moon. So I would say maybe the first (or one of the first) commercial made/designed cameras to be used similar to action cameras are today would have to be Hasselblad

I’ve added a few photos I’ve go hold of from the net

rumour has it ( I forget the name of the astronaut) that in 1963/4 (I think) this astronaut who was to be on a space mission, was also a keen amateur photographer, so a few weeks before take off he popped in to a photo shop in Huston/Austin (Texas) and with his own money bought a Hasselblad 500c, no special features just one off the shelf

once he came back and NASA saw the results they and Hasselblad worked together to produce Hasselblads that could be used in space with space gloves on,

Those of us who know Hasselblads will know and see that the space cameras were striped down to just the necessities, no viewfinder, no wind on handle and a few other features, and also a special motorised body that could be used with gloves on, as before this date there were no motorised Hasselblads

also as Hasselblads had two types of film backs, a 120 back shooting 12 exposures and a 220 back shooting 24 exposures before the film needed replacing or the back changing, me using Hasselblads for over 20 years I can tell you, with any kind of gloves on you are not going to be able to wind on the film and take it off its spool and re load the film back, so NASA and Hasselblad came up with 2 larger film backs, one was for 100 exposures and the other was a 200 medium format exposure back, those long ones that can be seen on the back of the cameras, for its day that was like getting a smart phone that its battery would last a full month of use on one charge,

Hope these photos are of help









Apart from one lens, Hasselblads used Zeiss lenses only, this add after the moon landing for Zeiss


















I heard to save weight, they only took the film backs, back to earth and left the camera bodies and lenses behind on the moon

a standard Hasselblad 500c of 1965 for comparison












Hope this is of help to you
 
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Wow @mollydog amazing find! I will certainly update the article today with information you provided. Thanks so much.

EDIT : Article is updated with info Mollydog provided.
 
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@Pavle, I've thought about this topic for a long time so it's great to see this thread on the subject, along with your web site article. Some great contributions here!
 
just re read it, its getting to be very interesting with good information, and as more information becomes available more can be added to it :)
 
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